A post on social media went viral claiming Dar-ul-Uloom issued Fatwa to Muslims to sell contaminated food to Hindu community. Such posts were found circulating throughout social media since 2020.
The post reads as, “Fatwa: All Muslim brothers are informed, Hindu Kafir settlements and villages, by mixing chemicals in the areas sell inferior quality fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, ice cream etc., so that the Kafir Jamaat and their children fall prey to disease in large numbers.
Decree: Madrasa Dar-ul Uloom Deoband”
(Screenshot from Facebook post)
(Spread of post across social media platforms)
Debunked Source
https://www.facebook.com/indra.tiwari.944/posts/4995463630582847
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1683799195311637&id=100010447188462
Fact Check
In order to check the claim, we searched for keywords “Darul Uloom India Fake Fatwa” and found the claim to be invalid. We looked for @gayur_sheikh on Twitter and found that the handle no longer exists.
(Screenshot of Twitter profile)
While investigating, we came across Amar Ujala and Zee News reports. According to the report, Darul Uloom Deoband has clarified that the fatwa is fake, and along with his ulema Mohtamim, has requested the Saharanpur police to take stern action against anyone behind the Maulana Gayur Sheikh’s Twitter account.
(Screenshot from Zee News website)
Source
https://twitter.com/gayur_sheikh
Rating
Disinformation/Hoax
Conclusion
Our fact-check confirmed that Darul Uloom Deoband had not issued any such fatwa to Indian Muslims. Darul Uloom Deoband has clarified that the fatwa is fake and asked police to investigate the matter. Religious rift is on peak in India, after former Bhartiya Janata Party’s spokesperson, Nupur Sharma statement against Prophet Muhammad. Spreading this fake news was to strengthen communal violence.
ABCDE Framework-Based Analysis
| Actor | Fake account, pretending to be run by Darul Uloom Deoband, is involved in disseminating the misleading content. |
| Behavior | Fatwa to sell inferior quality products to Hindus is issued by Muslim cleric. |
| Content | Social media posts. |
| Degree | Baseless claim is being rumored on social media, targeted audience is both Hindus and Muslims living in India. A fake Twitter account was made to spread disinformation which was later suspended. |
| Effect | The post was widely shared on social media in India by Hindu and Muslim community, igniting hateful debate online. Hindu community urged to boycott dealing with Muslim shopkeepers. |